Hint of Red: A Realistic Nuzlocke
by Artillera
Summary: Moving to a foreign region is certainly a unique experience, especially if it is a region like Hoenn, unpredictable and treacherous; a region where no place is exempt from assaults, gunfire from the various mobs, abduction or simply murder. What is the cause of this insecurity?
1. Prologue, Rules, Day 1

First story :D Any kind of review is appreciated, let me know what you think, please. Don't hold anything back: comments, critiques, doubts, complaints, questions, suggestions, anything!

Also feel free to skip the prologue xP I like my Hesse reflection thingies, but I guess they are irrelevant :V

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><p>When people set their minds on something, they can do many wonderful things. Living through painful experiences and overcoming them, following their dreams of a better future. Life is cruel, yet these people never lose hope. Growing up in miserable situations and experiencing a wide array of unfavorable emotions, they stride from their peers and become known among others for achieving their lifetime goals, becoming the successful people and transcending into the posterity. However, not everyone becomes that kind of person, in fact, most people give up. Sometimes they trap themselves in a bubble of negation, where they refuse to see reality as it really is. Sometimes will power shatters, making them fall upon vice, despair, apathy, conformity or even madness and eventually, suicide, murder and other vile crimes. Sometimes, though, circumstances are looking on the worst possible scenarios, and if they can't keep up the hope of fulfilling their dreams, eventually, one day they would die; eventually time passes and no one will remember what they did. No one will ever know who they were. It will just be one more meaningless name, added to the endless amount of people who have deceased without anything to be remembered for.<p>

A common example of the earlier thought is when a mother raises a child. They have to sacrifice a lot, if not most of their time; they live through hardships of their own and the hardships of their children as well, they have to keep up a good relationship with their partner… well, preferably, for an emotional well-being for the child. In this case the successful would be the families who fully raise their siblings to the stable, healthy and capable men and women of tomorrow's society. On the other hand we would have many different scenarios: children given to adoption, to prostitution (it is more rare but it happens), mental instability which leads to a couple more different scenarios, or rather simpler but drearier, death of any member of the family.

The following story is about a family of the first class, one that faces incredible hardships, being abandoned by the family pillar being the first one: a drug-addict man who delved in questionable business. After that the family had no income and was in a tense situation. But they didn't give up, and found a way. On Hoenn, a region quite far from their place, a friend of the mother's named Norman offered her a job at his friend's working place. He also offered her an apartment where she and her son could live. All was looking up. The road to Hoenn was harsh and illegal, but surely they would arrive.

Everything was going to go well… at least, it _was.._.

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><p>RULES:<p>

1. Only first Pokemon that appear in each area are to be caught. If it faints or flees, shame on you.

2. If it faints, it dies, okay?

3. All Pokemon have names. (duh)

4. No Items. (Exception: Herbs, 'cause drugs.)

5. If your team faints, you fucked big time. Start over for the sake of this story. If you have advanced far in the game then game over. (Far being post Lilycove)

6. No catching Legendaries.

7. No Running Away.

8. When you have 6 Pokemon with you, you can't catch any more. PC is to be used as a graveyard only. (And that only because I forget what I catch)

9. If you catch a duplicate of a Pokemon that has already died, you can switch it with the one that died. (Why bother grinding it when you can get the other one?)

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><p><em>Day 1<em>

_Littleroot_

**4 PM**

Kimmy was in the back of the truck. From their city they had to hire a smuggler to cross to Hoenn. There was no other way they could enter; being that the region needs a passport and a Visa, both too costly for the family's current situation.

Mom was sitting on the co-driver's seat. Kimmy shuddered. I don't know about you, but if I were a woman I wouldn't be sitting on a truck driver's co-pilot seat. Unless I was really desperate (Actually, I wouldn't be sitting on a truck driver's co-pilot seat, period). Anyways, Kimmy didn't want to imagine what was going on in the front of the trailer. 'So it has come to this, huh. We're so fucked up we had to resort to this…' were some of Kimmy's thoughts in the long trip through the highways. 'I need to relax. This new life in Hoenn… It's going to be great. No more misery, I'll be able to get three meals a day, and I'll make new, hopefully good friends…'

Suddenly, the truck stopped moving. Shortly afterwards, the back door opened. Kimmy flinched. Outside stood a middle-aged woman with brown hair, thin eyes, flat nose, high cheekbones, thin lips and deep chin. She was wearing a violet blouse and gray pants. She looked a bit troubled, but she put a strong face for his son.

"We're here, honey!" said the woman to her son. Hearing his mother's voice was all Kimmy needed to relax. He stood up and jumped out of the truck, impatient to see the new land of Hoenn, his expectations of the place being really high.

However, a wave of disappointment traveled through his face as he got hit by the cold reality on his face like a bucket filled with icy water.

He looked around to disprove what he was seeing, but to no avail. This neighborhood only had two houses and a building. Both the houses looked very small, smaller than an apartment. The building, however, was huge, but it was very plain, a prism of cement with about three floors, a few windows and a single iron door. Wasteland surrounded the neighborhood, with height elevations here and there, and few dry trees spread out throughout the place. Beyond the big building, far beyond, there seemed to be sand, probably from a beach, Kimmy thought. The small concrete houses were facing the building's back, separated approximately by fifteen meters. Behind the houses extended a paved road, leading who knows where. 'What a sad place', was Kimmy's impression.

"…Mom, is this really where we're gonna live?" As he was saying it, the truck was leaving the neighborhood… well, if you could call three buildings in the middle of nowhere that.

"It's…" She hesitated. "…it's our only choice, dear." Kimmy's mom could almost feel her son's disappointment. She couldn't blame him for being mature enough to understand the situation they were going through. She couldn't blame him either for wanting a more decent lifestyle. She really wished they could live a normal life. But, for now, that was impossible, and Kimmy could see that.

A few minutes passed while the family observed their surroundings. Then they entered their new house, the one on the left.

Inside was a small table with four small chairs on its sides. In front of the table was a TV. Behind the TV and against the wall were a sink, a counter, a cupboard and a shelf for food. Near the entrance was a single plant, withered from absence of water for a very long time. Parallel from the entrance were stairs to the bedroom. Upstairs there was a desk with a computer and an empty notebook, lying open on the desk, and a chair. Behind was a single bed, and to the left of the bed was a TV with a Nintendo Gamecube console. Before Kimmy got too excited, his mom reminded him that there was no electricity yet. All of this furniture probably belonged to Uncle Norman, as Kimmy affectionately called him.

"Kimmy, I'm going to do a few errands related to my new job, and I'm going to enroll you on the local school, so you can start tomorrow. You should meet the neighbors while I'm gone." Kimmy's mom told her son before giving him an affectionate hug. "This is only temporary, dear. It will only get better. I swear."

She was wrong.

And so Kimmy walked to the next house with a feeling of discomfort you'd get from being in a miserable situation, where you and all the people around you are dirt poor. He didn't know how to approach the door, but after a few hesitations, he did it. He knocked on the door. A middle-aged woman with golden hair opened. Her face had a tinge of hostility and alertness to everything Kimmy did. This confused the new boy.

"Hello, my name is Kimmy, uh… I'm your new neighbor," he said politely yet nervously, pointing to his house at the end of the phrase. The woman examined Kimmy from head to toe, landing a menacing glare in his eyes. But at last, her face switched to a more friendly expression.

"Oh! Come in. Welcome to Hoenn!" Her voice sounded relieved, like she was expecting Kimmy to have acted differently. The new boy stepped forward into the house, noticing it was exactly the same as his, if only mirrored to the right. 'Weird', he thought.

"I heard we were gonna have new neighbors," the woman said as she sat on one of the chairs. She stopped and frowned at the floor in deep thought. With a bit more nervousness, she added: "You're no vandal, right? Y'know, do you… graffiti on everything and carry knives and…" She stopped, waiting for Kimmy's response. The boy cocked his head in a bewildered expression.

"I've…never done any of those things in my life." Kimmy explained, still perplexed. "Why?" The woman relaxed again. He seemed to be telling the truth. "Just asking," she answered after letting out a discreet sigh. 'Why would she think I'm a thug? I don't even remotely look like one,' thought Kimmy with curiosity.

"Well, it doesn't matter. My name is Sara Birch. I live here with my husband, the famous scientist Samuel Birch, and with my daughter May. I'm assuming your mother is gonna work for him," she introduced herself, slowing down after she said "assuming".

"You have a daughter?" Kimmy inquired, to which Sara nodded. "Y'know, I don't know anyone yet, and I was wondering if I could meet her?" Sara nodded in affirmation.

"Yeah, that's fine. I think she would appreciate it. She is about your age, you know," responded the woman, looking distantly into the wall. "Our daughter is upstairs, I think." And with that, Kimmy headed upstairs.

Exactly like the first floor, the second floor was the same as Kimmy's room. In front of the computer was a girl in her teenage, wearing a red blouse. She was staring at the screen, probably reading, was Kimmy's impression. She didn't seem to notice him. He leaned back, observing the girl, and after a few seconds he cleared his throat to call her attention. The girl flinched and let out a short cry of surprise after looking at the source of the sound.

"Oh! Who… who are you?" She stammered as she gave a quick gaze to Kimmy, and then with a red flush on her face, nervously looked at anything but him. The new boy got uncomfortable by the girl's behavior and that made it harder for him to speak. Eventually though, he began:

"Hey, I apologize, umm... I'm your new neighbor," began Kimmy. He analyzed the girl. She had a tone of embarrassment on her face, but there was another thing, which really bewildered Kimmy: there was also hostility, just like he saw it in her mother's face. 'What the hell... This can't be coincidence? Is there something wrong with new people in Hoenn or something?' Kimmy wondered. But he stopped and left that subject for a different occasion and he focused on the task at hand, which was introducing himself to the teen.

"My name is Kimmy, and, well, I'm new to the region, and, uh, I kinda don't know anyone yet, so I decided to go meet my neighbors. Sorry for the intrusion," and he lent out a hand towards the brown-haired girl, who stood up from the chair and returned the salute.

"Um… hi!" She stopped suddenly, like she regretted the way she said it, but seeing Kimmy made no unfavorable reaction, she continued. "Uh, so you're, uh, Kimmy, huh? You just… moved in, right?" She was very uneasy: she was looking everywhere but towards Kimmy, showing a variety of nervous twitches, like scratching her arm, biting her nails and running a hand through her own hair. The new boy tried to make eye contact with her but she looked away.

"Yeah…I heard… that we would, uh, be having new neighbors… Dad told me…" She paused with a nervous smirk. Then after a very awkward silence, she continued. "Um, I'm, er… I'm May. Glad to meet you!" As quickly as she said the last sentence, she added: "Uh, well, I have to go help my dad, so, uh, see you another time!" And she walked past Kimmy a little too fast, almost as if she were avoiding him, down the stairs, and out of the house. Kimmy sighed as he began to meditate in the empty room.

'Well crap, I don't think I made a very good impression on her, huh. She's very shy, which can make a friendship _very_ hard…It sounds like she has some daddy issues as well.' He smirked at his failure. 'Well, worth the try, I guess… So far nothing's going as planned…' And with that defeat on his back, he left the house after biding adieu to Mrs. Birch.

**9 PM**

Kimmy's mom arrived home after doing many kinds of errands, tired out. She briefed her son on the situation: Tomorrow he would start assisting to the local high school at Oldale, a neighborhood nearby. She told Kimmy he had to take a bus route Legendary to arrive there, as well as where to take the bus and where to go down and some information about the town. It was not a very good school but it was the closest one: if they had chosen a better school Kimmy would have to make an hour-long trip at the least, plus the inscription fee was very cheap.

Kimmy and her mom slept together on the individual bed. It was by no means comfortable, but at least they had a place to sleep, and to Kimmy, that was all that mattered.

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><p>Just a little heads-up, this story starts out quite slowly on the first days, but just bear with me, it gets more interesting (I swear :D)<p>

Don't forget to review: it is my first story after all, I must know if there is something wrong with it so I can fix this chapter and the latter ones (I have a buffer going)

Peace!


	2. Week 1, Day 2

_Week 1 (You should have seen)_

_Day 2_

_Littleroot, Legendary, Oldale_

**6 AM**

And so Kimmy's new life began.

He got ready for school, wearing the brand new white-and-green uniform, and with some money his mom gave him he headed out to the bus stop. The boy didn't have to wait long before the desired bus route, Legendary, arrived to the stop. Aside from the driver, there were only two people inside; the one on the back was a tanned man, and the one on the front-

Huh, it was May.

'Should I sit with her?' Kimmy noticed her first; May glanced at the face of the new passenger, only to see it was Kimmy; her face flushed red and immediately broke eye contact, turning away towards the window. 'Well I guess that's a no,' Kimmy thought with a little disappointment. He sat in front of the back door. He looked outside: the road progressed into a misery belt; houses that made Kimmy's look decent. This landscape left an impact on the boy: the houses were made of cardboard and they weren't built over pave but over soil; they looked like their inhabitants took the first thing they saw and used said things as walls. It was truly depressing, for these shelters were piled one against the other, making seemingly infinite rows of these houses, extending to the horizon. This depressing landscape mirrored the aspect of the people who went up the bus: some of them with really menacing appearances, reflecting the dark lifestyle of a delinquent.

These people made Kimmy feel uneasy.

The travel was a quiet one, save for the loud motor of the bus, the creaking of the handle and the steamy sound of the opening and closing of the doors. 'I wonder what went wrong… I didn't make _that_ bad of an impression…right? Maybe it has to do with that… hostility that I felt, huh.' Kimmy continued lamenting, whilst May's thoughts ran on a similar tangent. 'He chose not to sit with me… But I tried to be nice! Damn it, I need to stop being so shy… That way I'll never get friends,' and she let out a sigh. 'Maybe… I could try… sitting with him? That would be….nice, but… I just can't,' she regretted. 'I hate this district. Lots of ugly people…' thought May with fear. Somehow the new boy could feel this fear, especially when the bus started filling up. Kimmy wanted to move next to his neighbor as well, but something stopped him from doing it: insecurity. Even though Kimmy wasn't a particularly shy guy, being the new kid feels overwhelming.

Eventually the bus reached Oldale, and finally the high school. Kimmy and a couple of mean looking students went down, but to his surprise, May didn't. 'Must attend a different, huh. Makes sense: her dad is a scientist, he can probably afford a good school, I guess,' thought Kimmy.

The high school contrasted the district; while every single house's wall were filled with meaningless graffiti and made of exposed bricks and other cheap materials, this walled area was in optimal conditions, not a single dot of spray on the outer walls, well painted and well protected, with barbed wire atop the walls to avoid breaking in or out. Painted on top of the main gate there laid a symbol that resembled an S. a C and a B joined together; to the side it read "State-owned Baccalaureate College #38", and in short "Stabac 38".

Kimmy attended normal classes: the group's advisor, Mr. Chavez, which happened to be the literature teacher, introduced him to the group in the first class of the day. The overall response of the group was positive and they adopted him amongst them warmly, inviting him to play games and joining in small talk. In particular, Alfredo Del Valle and Sol Seminario really took a like to the new student. The day elapsed smoothly for Kimmy, hope glistening again in his eyes, with only one peculiar incident happening.

Stabac High Schools are public schools meant for the low classes, therefore there is a good amount of poverty, and in consequence, a lot of vandals, drug addicts, robbers, con artists and whores. In fact, Stabac 38 was one of the schools with the most disrepute in the entire region of Hoenn. Kimmy, of course, had no idea, so he got surprised when he saw a band of students behind the cafeteria, smoking, wearing long hair, some had mustaches and none of them were wearing the uniform correctly.

"Don't worry, man," said Del Valle behind him. "Stay away from them and you'll be alright. You don't mess with them, they don't mess with you." Kimmy gazed in that direction with consternation. Other than that event, it was a wonderful day for Kimmy.

**3 PM**

'What the fuck...'

The route Legendary had taken a long time to pass, and Kimmy was stunned when he saw there were people grabbing themselves on the doors of the bus. Guess who went in said placement for approximately twenty minutes.

By the time the bus came to the stop closest to Kimmy's home, the bus was empty. He didn't see May.

**4 PM**

Del Valle had gone to visit Kimmy right after he had lunch. He had brought a friend, whose name was Tiana, another classmate of theirs. Kimmy appreciated their company, for his mother had not arrived home yet. They spent their time wandering around the Littleroot neighborhood, talking about school, classmates, teachers, and overall, giving the new boy a brief introduction to Hoenn.

**5 PM**

"You're leaving…so soon?"

"Yeah... Sorry, man," Del Valle apologized and they bid their farewells. Kimmy asked why leaving so early, to which they answered that Hoenn was a dangerous place at nights.

"But there is still sun…" replied Kimmy perplexed. In response they murmur that six in the evening is a dangerous hour anywhere in Hoenn, regardless of the time. They made about a thirty minute trip on the bus so they had to get going. Kimmy entered his house and had a light meal. Then he ended the day by going to bed.

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><p>That Stabac school stuff I put in the story is a real thing. It's a reference to a Mexican school chain named "Colegio Bachillerao Estatal", or Cobaes for short.<p>

Please review: I need to know if I'm doing something wrong, so I avoid making mistakes in future chapters.


	3. Day 3

Feel free to make suggestions, comments, complaints, questions in the reviews. I need to know how my story is doing :)

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><p>Day 3<p>

Littleroot, Legendary, Oldale, 10th of March

Current party: Kimmy

**6 AM**

Kimmy repeated the previous day's routine and took a Legendary bus to school. This time it was empty, save for the driver. It didn't pick up many people. No peculiar events took place in school, being mainly small talk with Kimmy's new friends, Seminario, Del Valle and Tiana.

At the end of the day Kimmy was heading out towards the bus stop, when Alfredo and Sol stopped him.

"Hey, Kimmy! We headin' to Del Valle's joint, ya comin'?" shouted Seminario. Kimmy pondered for a moment, but he decided to go with them. It's not like Mom would be mad at me anyways, and I'll probably have lunch there, thought Kimmy. Surprisingly enough, they headed to the other side of the street, opposite of Kimmy's bus stop, right in front of the school gates. The group of friends took a Legendary heading beyond Oldale to the north. About five minutes later, the friends went down the bus. Kimmy asks where they are and as an answer they tell him that it was the "10th of March" neighborhood. They walked a few blocks before they arrived to a parking lot. Then they passed through an alleyway which cars couldn't pass through, winding through many diffent passages that Kimmy didn't bother learning. Finally they stopped at a blue house and they went inside.

Much to Kimmy's delusion, they had a poor meal. After lunch the friends went back to the alley and continued until they arrived to a small park. There they sat on a bench and talked about trivial things, until the conversation turned a more peculiar point.

"So at what time does the last bus pass?" asked Kimmy.

"Ah, lemme think… I believe at ten o'clock, but… wouldn't recommend being outside that late, y'know," spoke Seminario, and knowing Kimmy was going to ask why, he continued. "It gets too dangerous at night, man." Yeah, just like Del Valle had said yesterday, he thought. Kimmy reflexed for a moment. 'Why is it so dangerous? Maybe I should just ask.'

"Hey, what do you mean by dangerous?" Kimmy asked curiously. Seminario and Del Valle looked at each other, incredulity written on their faces.

"Well, whaddaya think? I'm talkin' about rogues, dealers, muggers, all of those shits, man. None of 'em will hesitate to sting a knife into ya, and they be all overthe place, pal. We serious pal, don't be outside after six o'clock." And after that the conversation went into more small talk, mostly about school related topics, like their classmates and their teachers.

**5 PM**

Seminario and Kimmy bid adieu to Del Valle and each parted their own ways, Kimmy's being the bus stop for Legendary route and Seminario's being to briefly visit a friend of his, who also lived near 10th of March. The bus arrived relatively soon, but as he went up the boy noticed something really regrettable: he had no money.

The driver seemed negligent to let Kimmy slip by, so he went down the bus, really dismayed. He sighed as he realized he'd have to walk all the way home. It was 5 PM and Kimmy was at the verge of panic. 'Okay, it's alright, calm down...' he told himself, 'You just walk the fastest you can towards home. Alright… here we go,' and with no hesitation he began his travel at fast pace, after the path the Legendary route took.

By the time he crossed Oldale it was already 6 PM. Kimmy was feeling tired, but continued on. He became extremely paranoid, observing every single movement around him. He saw a couple of men with a variety of intoxicants at plain sight, which Kimmy, although really scared, thought it was very cynical. No misfortunes occurred as he finished crossing the misery belt. He was almost home. He could make it-!

All of a sudden Kimmy was tugged and pulled by the elbow. He didn't have any time to react, as his heart stopped suddenly, then began to beat rapidly, almost wanting to burst from his chest. He turned around impromptu to see who or what it was. It was a blonde haired man with a copper-toned tan to his skin. He was wearing an orange jacket, which seemed to blend well with his color. He examined Kimmy while he pressed his hand around the boy's elbow. Kimmy was dumbfounded, his face reflecting all the fear he was feeling. The man raised his head, shrinking his eyes as he continued to glare at Kimmy. Finally he spoke.

"Relax. I'm not going to harm you," the man stated briefly. This didn't help to calm Kimmy down; instead, confusion added to the other feelings projecting from his face. The man sighed as he noticed his words had no effect. He let go of Kimmy and pointed towards the general direction of Littleroot. Kimmy followed the finger and saw a brown-bearded man being assaulted by another, nasty looking man.

"We're saving him. I need you to distract the thug," and before Kimmy could complain, he ran and sneaked away into the trees, flanking to the back of the vandal. Kimmy didn't like the idea of helping a guy that almost scared him to death, but he had no other choice; the tan man could be dangerous as well. So he headed towards the robber, and before he attempted to call his attention he analyzed the scene.

The man being robbed was brown-haired and had a brown beard. He was middle-aged; he was wearing a white coat, meaning that he probably was a scientist from a lab, most likely the one at Littleroot. He was carrying a heavy beige backpack, and he looked even more frightened than Kimmy. He would have probably run away if the thug wasn't holding him by the waist with one hand, the other holding a knife against his kidney area. The thug, however, looked serious, bored even, like this was routine. He was thin to the bone, therefore he was not by any means strong-looking, but he had a knife, which augmented his threat level. 'Well, here goes nothing…' thought Kimmy before he shouted towards the two men, who looked at the source of the sound, directly into Kimmy's eyes.

"Get lost, brat! If y'care 'bout yer life, y'better scram!" cried the thug aggressively, but Kimmy's intrusion gave the brown-haired man the courage to cry for help.

"H-Help me! You over there! Please, help me!" which earned him a hook to the stomach. The man contorted in pain at the hit. Kimmy remained in place, immobilized in fear. He didn't know what to do next, and so he just stood still, testing the vandal's patience. Bad news was that said thug was very short-tempered, so he came closer to the boy, dragging the frightened man with him.

"You stupid, brat? I said. Get. Lost!" screamed the vandal as he swung his arm aggressively at the air. Kimmy started to get nervous; he didn't see the tan man anywhere. But sticking to his plan, he stood still. He immediately thought he was being set up, but after pondering the subject, it seemed unlikely: the copper-skinned man could have easily gotten rid of the boy by himself. Unless…

The thug gave a high-pitched cry of pain. Kimmy flinched. A knife had gone through his chest. He leaned to the side to look behind the rascal, and lo and behold, he saw the tan man. But as quickly as he had appeared he had disappeared in the trees, running away. The geezer followed suit and ran away in panic as soon as he freed from the rascal's grip. Kimmy scanned his surroundings in search of the tanned figure, but it was beginning to get dark and he didn't see him. Now that all trouble seemed out-of-the-way, Kimmy let out a heavy sigh, relieved. He headed home, walking at a fast pace in a precautionary measure.

He opened the door, went upstairs and lay back on the bed. He was exhausted: all the walking and all the emotions drained out his energy completely. He meditated on the events of the day. He pondered what was the cause of it all…Oh, right. He used up all of his money to go to Del Valle's house. Real smart move, huh, thought Kimmy. Next time he'd make sure to bring money for three buses. Then he realized he could have done things differently, with a better outcome. He could have returned to Del Valle's house and asked him for some money, thus avoiding having to walk all the way home. It didn't matter now.

As the new boy thought about money and how to manage the next morning more effectively, something began to worry him. He tried to remember, forcing his mind very hard… and he remembered. His worry grew.

He hadn't seen his mother at all that day.

He lay awake in bed for a couple of hours, waiting for the sound of the door closing.

Nothing.

'Weird. I don't think she should be working for that long. Maybe I'm worrying too much. Yeah, that's definitely it. Maybe I just missed her,' thought Kimmy to comfort himself, but he was still at unease. He raised himself from bed and went downstairs to have a light dinner. Then he returned to bed and slept restlessly.

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><p>That's it for this one. See ya on the next one, I guess<p>

I've been making these first days pretty short, but they get longer from here. Perhaps too long, let me know what you think.


	4. Day 4, 7 AM

_At last, here's where things get more interesting._

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><p>Day 4<p>

Littleroot, Legendary, Oldale,

Current party: Kimmy

**7 AM**

After routine, Kimmy swiftly searched the house for money. He found just enough and he headed towards the bus stop, a tad later than usual.

Up the bus were three people: the bus driver, a brown-haired girl in the front row and in the back… was the tanned man from yesterday. He ignored that the girl in the front was May and headed straight to the back after paying his ticket. He had a lot of questions… let's hope he's willing to talk more than a few words this time, thought Kimmy.

"Excuse me," The man turned towards his caller. "Can we speak about yesterday?" asked Kimmy, still standing on the bus floor. The man turned away and gave an almost imperceptible nod. The student sat next to him at his response. He thought for a moment about his first question.

"So, uh…" He didn't know how to begin. "Why…? Why, uh…save the man?" The tan man smirked.

"That was Professor Birch," said the man without emotion. "You can't leave an important person like that to die," he said after a long pause. Kimmy processed this new information, and he found himself a small contradiction. 'If Professor Birch is that important, then he wouldn't risk being outside that late in the day. Am I missing something? Doesn't everyone know about the dangers?' He began to elaborate the question in his head before he asked.

"But wait, that was a little late for a guy like him to be outside, don't you think?" asked Kimmy curiously. The tan man closed his eyes, apparently thinking. Although they were oblivious to it, they had the other passengers' attention (May and the driver, who were looking at them from the rearview mirror).

"You're right," he began. "I don't know the reason. Whatever it was, though, it must have been very important." Kimmy looked back to the assault scene. 'So it was Birch, huh? That would explain the lab coat. But he had another peculiar item with him, didn't he… a beige bag. It looked heavy, too. I'd be willing to bet that's the reason,' the boy thought. He didn't notice the man was grinning until he spoke.

"I don't need to know anyway. That is not my job," he stated with apathy. 'I wonder what he does for a living…'thought the student and then inquired "Your job?" to which the man didn't respond.

Kimmy looked in front of him, finding his eyes to glance at the rearview mirror and noticed a pair of eyes looking back at him; at the same time he gazed at them they turned away. He hadn't noticed. It was May! He felt an incredible guilt running through his body. 'I have to speak to her,' he thought, and with that, he left his remaining questions for the tanned man for another time, which Kimmy felt for sure there would be. But before he moved, he asked a single question.

"Hey, um, last question. What is your name?" The man continued to stare in front of him, and after a few seconds of observing nothing, he answered.

"Juarez. That is my name…"

Kimmy nodded and bid farewell. "Well, I guess I'll see you again?"

Juarez smirked. "Yes. Yes you will," he finalized cryptically. Kimmy blinked as his hunch got confirmed and he stood up.

He looked at May. She was looking at the depressing misery belt through the window. He struggled to move from his place. It was definitely harder than he thought it would be. But he had to do it. He walked a few steps towards the middle of the corridor then stopped as a new passenger went up and picked a seat on the back side. Kimmy leaned to one side so the person could pass through. Then he hesitated once more and walked slowly to the front with decision. Right behind the driver, at the first set of seats sat May. Kimmy cleared his throat and a startled May turned to see him. She obviously didn't expect him to come to her.

"Oh!" she flinched, then greeted timidly. Kimmy returned the greeting with a small nod.

"Um, can I sit here?" asked the boy. May remained in place as she tried to concede, but a few seconds passed before she gave an almost imperceptible nod, which led Kimmy to sit down still with some feeling of discomfort, though he also felt accomplishment for overcoming his struggles.

After a very uneasy quietude, Kimmy began.

"So…" Pause. "Uh, hey, where do you study?" He knew that was a very irrelevant question, as he wouldn't know any part she'd mention, but he thought it a good idea to first get rid of the silence. He observed her uniform: a red shirt with a gray skirt. 'That doesn't tell me much. I could ask around, though,' thought Kimmy while he waited for an answer.

"It's… a private school," replied May with nervousness. "…For middle-rich-class." She said with embarrassment, reflecting on Kimmy's economic situation. 'That makes sense. Her father is an important scientist,' thought Kimmy. 'But in that case… why would they live in such a dump? And why would she be taking public transport….' Kimmy's train of thought broke when he heard a giggle to his left.

"I… I know what you're thinking… Why do I take the bus?" Kimmy leaned back in astonishment. 'Woah, she guessed it,' he thought with surprise.

"I help my dad… in his research," said the red-shirted girl, lowering the volume of her voice, shame peeping in her tone that went unnoticed by her companion. "…Every day, before… I go to school. Have you, um… Have you seen the beach?" Kimmy thought back to his first day in Hoenn…

_Beyond the big building, far beyond, there seemed to be sand, probably from a beach… _

Well, technically he hasn't, he's just seen the sand.

"You mean the one far beyond the Lab? No… I haven't." Kimmy replied. May pondered her statement.

"Yeah, so… The bus terminal is there… and there is no other means of transport, so… Yeah. I, um, I… take the first bus that leaves. And, I think, um, that the trip is, er… relaxing." 'Oh, so that's why I haven't seen her, she takes the other buses as well…' Kimmy reflected; he remembered two other routes aside from Legendary going through the stop. He moved on to a different topic.

"So, uh, about your dad…" he tried to begin, but surprisingly, Birch's daughter talked right away.

"He is into his research a little too much. He doesn't eat nor sleep when he gets an important advance," said May with impetus, which took the new boy by surprise; he never expected her to ever speak like that. "I… I overheard your conversation," said the girl, her face turning red from embarrassment, but then recovered the energy from her first statement. "He even takes extreme measures to assure his precious research goes well, illegal means included. That event yesterday was probably just that," she said, again with energy, almost like possessed. Then she returned to her timid self and left Kimmy with his thoughts. 'This research… I wonder what it is. Also, there's something else that's been bothering me… Should I... Nah, there's no way she would know anything.'

"Um, so… What is your father researching?" he asked. May looked away, ignoring the question. After a few seconds of confusion, Kimmy asked "May?" but no answer. She looked troubled by that question. 'Eh, who cares, it's not my business,' thought Kimmy after noticing the impression he left on her. And with the end of his thoughts came an awkward silence.

Kimmy looked back. Juarez was standing in the corridor, his hands holding from the horizontal bar. His gaze focused on the outside of the bus, looking at the misery belt. Then Kimmy looked to the front. The driver was a swarthy man, with a flat nose, medium short hair and a black mustache. He was wearing a cap and a green shirt, seemingly content, and he wore a small grin as he hummed quietly a dissonant melody, result from lack of musical aptitudes. After that he looked to his left. The girl sitting next to him was shy, but something about her gave Kimmy the impression that there was more to her personality; he had seen a radical change when she began to talk about her father.

Four days in Hoenn and Kimmy had been in a number of peculiar scenarios. He moved to this strange city with abysmal security levels. He transferred to a school where the lowest from the low-class neighborhoods assisted. His mother had disappeared. He had found himself with no money at a dangerous hour of the day, far away from home. He had been the witness of a crime and had also contributed to a murder. He's had premonitions of meeting a man in the proximate future. He was the neighbor of a man who cared for nothing but for his investigation, and his daughter, who appeared to lack social skills, but inside, Kimmy felt, there was more complexity, to a degree that perhaps inclined to something more sinister.

"Uh, you know…" Suddenly, May derailed Kimmy's train of thought. "I… I was hoping… that you would, uh, be nice, and, um… that we could be friends." And she smiled with a tinge of embarrassment. "Oh, but… this is silly… isn't it? I've…um, I've just met you." Kimmy listened intently to every word she was saying, in silence. '…Be friends? Yeah, that'd be nice,' thought Kimmy, who remained quiet for the lack of an answer to give. A long silence followed, but then May began talking again.

"You know… my dad has an eye on you. I've heard about you from him." By the tone of her voice, Kimmy could assume the professor was not talking good about him, which was odd: they had never met in person, therefore he had no foundations on any prejudices he may have made and told his daughter. Then again, he could've wrongly judged him when he called his mugger's attention, but in that case the man had no reason to talk about him, not to mention he shouldn't have even known who Kimmy was in the first place.

"…From before you arrived," May said, as if she was reading his mind, her face holding some sort of disgust, sympathetic to what her partner was thinking. Kimmy was completely surprised. That's twice in a row she seemed to read his thoughts. This time he felt the need to ask.

"Woah, you read minds or what?" he said teasingly. "That's exactly what I was going to ask!" he continued, his tone reflecting his surprise. May's face changed to a giggle, and she shrugged. "Well… I dunno."

"Anyways, that's weird. I've never met him before." Kimmy stated with more seriousness, finalizing the conversation. A few moments later, Kimmy saw the walls of his school. He stood up from his seat and bid adieu to his partner, then went down the bus with a couple of other students from Stabac.

As soon as he went down, he met with Sol Seminario and Esteban Domene, also known as "Marino" (Kimmy had no idea why*), another one of his classmates. Together they stepped into the half-decent institution. They attended normal classes.

Little did Kimmy know that it would be the last he'd have.

* * *

><p><span><em>* ...and by that I mean I have no idea why I called the guy Marino ._. It isn't a name (not that I know of) but an area in my city. So is Juarez, and Seminario and Del Valle as well xP. <em>

_Anyways, I fragmented this chapter because it is very long (not exaggerating: I'd say it's about 8,000 words) but the action begins after here :D Grats if you had the patience to read to this point._

_Any kind of review whatsoever is greatly appreciated, even if you hate it so much you want to murder me, that's fine, do leave it in the review section. _


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